9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Excellent pictures, unbeatable price
Date of Review: Oct 9, 2004
The Bottom Line: No way you can beat this camera at less than $200.
I bought this camera based on reviews here and elsewhere, and upon the really low price. I have been amazed at the value.
**PROS**
-Use it straight out of the box. The camera has few settings that affect picture taking. While this will upset some enthusiasts, it does mean you can turn the dial to 'auto' and immediately snap pictures.
-Great pictures. I figured the 3Megapixels would be enough for me. The images are slightly bigger than a 1024x728 screen, and when shrunk they are incredibly sharp. I don't print my pictures very often, but reports are this resolution will result in good prints. Finally, the color balance of the photos is wonderful.
-Downloading is easy. It comes with a USB cable, and XP will read the camera straightaway. I have no intentions of loading the KODAK software, but it has many capabilities you might want to check out (read up on easyshare)
-Battery life was quite good. The day after I got it I went to an airshow, taking video and stills for over 2 hours with the camera on most of the time. No issues at all. Mind you, I learned the hard way a long time ago not to use the LCD screen unless it was necessary.
-Easy to use buttons. The menus and their operation is intuitive, so 'training' time is minimal.
-Video. In video mode you can shoot video until the memory is used up. In order to get the 15fps you have less clarity and smaller size images, but I like the capability--it's fun.
-Shutter lag. This normally refers to the time between pics. The camera has a buffer, so you can take pics along as the light is green. It will go red eventually, but you can get 3 or 4 quick snaps with no lag time. Considering my old camera was one shot and wait, this is huge!
CONS
-You will need to buy extra memory. Since that will run you only $30 more for 128MB, the whole package still comes in at LESS THAN $200!!! Better yet, the 16MB is 'built in' to the camera, so what you add is really added, unlike some other cameras where you have to remove what came with it to add more. (so I added 128 and have 144 total!)
--------The comments below are trifles for a $150 camera----
-No carrying case. You need to buy the 'starter kit' if you want the carrying case, minitripod and rechargeable battery. Not required for use, but nice.
-No optical zoom. And we all know digital zoom is not really very good.
-User settings. You can adjust the flash, and the exposure if you like, but not the focus mode. But at less than $150 I don't see why someone who wants those extras would even be looking at this picture.
